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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Jan 13, 2010 11:30:04 GMT -5
As Buskin landed Wolfgang jumped off of him, but quickly turned around to examine him. "Doing alright?" Buskin gave huffed and ignored his question, even thought he was panting and not very pleased with the snow under his feet. Wolfgang smirked, "Stubborn bird." He quickly grabbed his canteen that was at his side and let Buskin finish the remains of it, he no doubt needed it more than him. He turned to Patrick, hand full of sandwiches and eyes one in particular. He politley took it and nodded in thanks. "Hopefully we won't though, I don't think we can take much for attacks, especially if we'll be on the sabbia."
Inori took a sandwich and buttoned up her jacket to her neck. Her wings pushed against her back, she sat on the glacier and sighed lightly. Being grounded was a nice feeling after flying for such a long time. She finished her sandwich, which had been not particularily terrible, even though it was mostly human food. She stood up again and rested her hand on one of Jester's wings. They were very cold to the touch, this worried her, but she knew if he folded his wings they would eventually warm up. "Patrick, the village can't be too far away, right? I'll fly from not on. If it gets too hard, I'll ride with you."
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Jan 17, 2010 6:29:48 GMT -5
Patrick frowned when Inori said this. He knew he couldn't just change her mind, but still... it worried him. But maybe she was right. The sabbia couldn't take too much more. Right now, they could rest their wings, and hopefully, they would find the village without any trouble. As for how far the village was, it could be getting close, or it could still be on the other side of the sea. In this case, he sure hoped it was closer.
Sahara glanced over the side of the ice once more, making sure everything was clear, then turned to Patrick and the others. "If I'm right, the village shouldn't be much further. At this time of the year, it should be just past the deep waters. If we manage to not get spotted by a vicous sea creature before we get there... it should be easy finding it." She stopped to contemplate things.
"Do we have any plans? For when we get to the village?" Patrick shrugged, being quite honest. "If we fly high enough, they shouldn't be able to see us... unless they are expecting Shifuto Hiru raiders riding sabbia... that would be a different story. Then I guess we could only hope that a story about how we wound up with the sabbia might work... Either way, we all need to be prepared to fight, and fight hard." Sahara nodded in agreement and turned to Wolfgang.
"You are the whole reason we are here. No matter what happens, YOU are not from the desert. YOU are not from Shifuto Hiru. Which means that they would more than likely let you go. If something happens to us... get what you need... and get out. Buskin seems pretty close to you now... I think Patrick would agree with me when I say, that he is yours now."
Patrick glanced at Sahara. He did agree with her. More than likely, something bad would probably happen to them. If that did happen, Patrick knew that Wolfgang would need a sabbia. "She is right. If something happens to us, I only ask that you fly back to Shifuto Hiru, and tell them all that happened, so they are well prepaired..."
Sahara put her hand on his arm. It was tough, knowing that what ever happened, this might be it. Patrick looked at Inori. "I don't want you getting too involved. You are not from Shifuto Hiru either, so if we get captured... you two should be safe." Things finally started to dawn on Patrick. What if something did happen to them? Most often, the village would probably just capture and keep them prisoner... but what if they figured they were too dangerous?
Sahara laughed slightly. "Lets just hope they believe we are from what ever village these jackets were made in, ok?"
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Jan 17, 2010 18:52:13 GMT -5
Inori bit her lip and looked up at Patrick, alarmed. "Patrick!..." She knew he was being couragous, as well as Sahara, but she couldn't leave them if things got too rough. She glanced at Wolfgang, would he? She examined him, he stood in silence, even after Sahara's attempt to lighten the mood. There was a lot running through his head, more than the danger that they would be facing.
Wolfgang's eye became stormy and dark, and after a long moment of thought, he turned to Buskin. He looked back at him with his usual 'What're the orders now' expression. Buskin was a loyal beast, at first Wolfgang wasn't sure if he would even be able to ride him without vomiting, but now, he was his. It occured to him that Connor had raised him well, and maybe that was why Buskin was so trusting. The corner of his mouth twitched and became a small smile. He patted Buskin's head heavily. "I'm sure there is an entrance to the village where it's lightly guarded. We could easily sneak by, and once we are in the city, we would be safe. As long as the Sabbia had a place to rest, unseen." He turned to Sahara, he had an ambitious, almost crafty look in his eye. Determination. "Sahara, I know it was a long time since you've been to Shifuto Aisu, but there must be somethings you remember about it that can help us."
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Jan 18, 2010 21:44:59 GMT -5
Sahara rubbed her temples, trying to remember her last terrifying visit to Shifuto Aisu. Even though she had been desperately trying to forget all of these years, she could still visualize it as if it had happened just the day before.
"They have... tons of entrances... Holes in the ice. Most of them are hard to spot until you are right over them... there are look outs on the ice bridges on either sides.... but not at the front or rear of the glacier. Still... I've never seen anyone approach it from the front... honestly, I don't think we should even try that way." She opened her eyes and looked at them. Patrick was listening to her intently, soaking up all that she was saying and trying to understand. Then Sahara continued.
"I heard something... about a spiritual chamber. It is a small hollowed glacier attached to the larger glacier... the city. I don't remember seeing any guards there... and if I'm right, then it is only open to the villagers for part of the day." She focused, trying to remember more of the conversations she had over heard. "... I'm... not sure WHAT time of day... but at night, I'm pretty sure it is completly sealed off... PRETTY sure."
She reopened her eyes and looked at them. "Though I don't know where the entrance is... if even there IS one." She bit her lip. "I can't be sure. I'm sorry, that's all I know... I wish I knew more..." Patrick gave her a small pat on the back. "Don't worry... that information is pretty helpful. And we can't force you to know more." He tried to comfort her, though Sahara hardly felt comforted.
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Jan 19, 2010 1:51:43 GMT -5
Wolfgang's intense expression softened, "Sahara, that information will do just fine. Thank you.". He turned and took a few steps toward the edge of the ice, the murky water down below gave him a sinking feeling, but he ignored it for the time being and tried to concentrate. They had to have some idea before entering the village, without one was foolish suicide, and Wolfgang couldn't bare having any more innocent blood on his hands.
Wolfgang's dried, pale lips formed a frown; one of both frustration from such a lack of time and from the fact there was virtually nothing he knew about the village itself. He muttered bitterly to himself until finally a thought that had been floating in his head made itself known.
"It seems we have only one suitable option available to us then... If we can find that glacier Sahara spoke of, we can most likley land and enter from there, by nightfall." a terrificly reckless idea, but he could only go by what he knew. He was running out of options. "Patrick, it is up to you and Sahara. Your lives are more endangeredby this mission then both Inori's and mine."
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Jan 23, 2010 22:42:34 GMT -5
Patrick couldn't think of any safer way. Even with Sahara not knowing where exactly where or even IF there was an outside entrance, if nobody was around that part at night, then that is where they needed to land, to atleast hide the sabbia. "That sounds like a plan..."
Sahara dropped her head, staring down at the snow covered ice. If it had recently snowed.. the entrances to the village might be sealed off by snow, atleast the ones that are least often used. Which meant, that they may not be able to use them any way. And then there was the other problem... They couldn't just sneak Wolfgang in. They had to find the main entrance, and risk getting caught. That way, it wouldn't look like Wolfgang was some sort of spy.
Then she remembered something...
"Their water! Shifuto Aisu is completly surrounded by water, but it is all salt water. The only fresh water they can get is in the spiritual chamber. Which MEANS that water must be able to leak into the spiritual chamber... perhaps there is an entrance... but if so, I doubt the village even knows about it, and I'm not even sure if we could fit in..." "Not to mention that the water is freezing." Patrick added.
Sahara nodded. It would be a dangerous way to go... but... if the others were alright with that, they would probably not get caught that way. "If we were to land above the chamber, then swim below it, and hopefully find the underwater entrance, we could get in no problem. The chamber leads into the main stairways of the village, so if Wolfgang was spotted inside the main stairways, they would just expect him of coming in through the main entrance..."
She realized that this could put them in danger as well. If they stayed out in the cold air at night, they would all freeze to death. And ofcourse, entering the water, they could also freeze to death, but if they managed to get inside the chamber, atleast it would be warmer there...
"We all have extra clothes, right?"
Patrick thought about this plan. It was so dangerous, but then again, what wasn't when you had to SNEAK into a hidden city?
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Feb 1, 2010 10:36:22 GMT -5
Wolfgang frowned deeply. It /would/ be dangerous, especially if they were to do it at night, when the water would be even colder. He tried to think of a better solution, but Sahara obviously knew better than he. For another moment he hesitated before sighing. "Alright, it sounds like a plan then." He turned to Buskin to pat his feathers, he was already looking better, but he was tired. "Once we get you to the village, you can rest up longer." Wolfgang murmured, Buskin seemed to nod in reply and flapped his folded wings, hoping to warm them up before they left.
Wolfgang winced lightly, pressing his fingers to his forehead nonchalantly. It didn't matter to him if they ran right through the gates with their hands up and signs saying "Spies frm Shifuto Hiru" on them, if there was even a chance they could cure him, he wanted to take it, no matter the risk.
Inori shivered beside Jester, listening to Patrick and the others talking. She was nervous, and also curious as to how the plan would unfold, but she kept quiet and stroked Jester's beak. Finally, she spoke. "Perhaps we should leave now, the sabbia are getting restless."
Wolfgang's eye drifted towards Jester, then to Strawberry, and back to Buskin. Buskin was restless, he wasn't sure if it was because he was ready to leave, or if it was something else. Something in the water. He felt a stab of nerves, and he grabbed Buskin's reigns. "If there's a chance of something harmful in these waters, we can't stay."
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Feb 5, 2010 20:03:44 GMT -5
Sahara agreed whole heartedly with Wolfgang. She felt terribly uncomfortable on that tiny hunk of ice. She made her way away from the side of the ice and grabbed Strawberry's reigns. Immediately, the bird bucked and squacked, accidentally knocking Sahara down into the snow. Patrick, realizing what just happened, ran over to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her up and away from the snow just as Strawberry landed, claws first, into the snow. The bird snorted and paced, keeping her eyes on Sahara and the others.
Patrick frowned. "What is going on with that bird?" He had had problems with the sabbia before, but not like this, not with one so well trained as Strawberry. Sahara felt betrayed. This was the second incident in just days. She was pretty sure that the first time, Strawberry was trying to help her, but now she wasn't so sure. She stood back, beside Wolfgang, her eyes wide and terrified.
Patrick carefully stepped over to the quick sabbia, then quickly grabbed the reigns. Strawberry reared up once more, but Patrick forcefully pulled the reigns down, causing her to land before she could get too wild again. She scratched at the ice beneath her. "Calm down... calm.. calm..." He tried soothing the bird, who eventually snorted and finally stood still. Patrick put his hand forward, and with gloved on, began stroking the bird's sharp feathers.
Without turning his head away from Strawberry, he spoke. "I think she is just spooked... all the birds are a bit scared right now. She seems calm now..." But before he could finish speaking, Sahara spoke up. "I'm not riding that!" She nearly screamed with tears in her eyes. "Are you nuts? That bird is trying to kill me!" Patrick frowned, turning his eyes to Sahara. Luckily, Strawberry remained calm. "she has carried you all this way... she fought with you when the jintori attacked. "
Sahara dropped her head and frowned. She knew Patrick was right, but still, she couldn't trust Strawberry, not right now, not when everything was on the line. Patrick noticed this, and sighed. "If you need to, ride Jester. He is a very mellow sabbia. I'll ride Strawberry." Sahara nodded, both sadly and thankfully. She grabbed Jester's reigns fearfully. Strawberry had been the only sabbia, the only bird, she had ever ridden or trusted. Now she was going to have to ride Jester. However, that choice seemed more do-able than riding Strawberry anymore.
Carefully, she threw her legs over Jester's back. Jester was noticably larger than Strawberry, as Sahara's legs were far off the ground now, unlike riding Strawberry where she often had to lift her legs when landing. He was also much more muscled, and suprizingly more uncomfortable. She ignored this however, and gripped the reigns tighter. Patrick jumped on Strawberry, who chirpped in annoyance. "Lets get out of here." He said to Inori and Wolfgang as he gave Strawberry a small kick, and she unfurled her long wings.
But sometimes, staying still is the best choice. For example, some fish prefer to eat flies, rather than what sit on the water's surface. The fluttering above the water makes their taste buds quiver. The fly never expects it. Perched on an abandoned lily pad, it licks its tiny, hairy legs. Then, as it smells a hint of dung, it flutters its wings and lifts into the air. Unsuspectingly, the fish swims below the surface of the water, and catched sight of the fly. With out waiting for the fly to get too high, the fish leaps, and the fly never had a chance. It believed that if it flew above the water, then it was safe.
But that is just it. A fish and a fly. It couldn't possibly happen to a man on a large bird. Unless of course the fish too was in larger scale. But, why it would take an ocean for that. A deep, deep part of the ocean...
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Feb 9, 2010 0:36:53 GMT -5
ooc/ monsters DO appear, but no big battle or anything. Yeah peace!
bic/
Wolfgang followed Patrick’s movements and jumped on the back of Buskin. He turned to Inori, who was flapping her wings as well as keeping the large coat close to her. “If you get tired, like Patrick said, just get on the back of any of the sabbia, whichever is close.” Inori nodded slightly, her eyes still couldn’t lock to his. She could feel him still looking at her, waiting for a response. “Yes, thank you… I will do that.” With a fluid motion she lifted herself up off the ground, the beating of the wings against the wind caused the small amount of shaved ice from Strawberry’s claws to tumble off the small glacier.
Eventually Buskin lifted off the glacier himself, and brought him and Wolfgang high in the air, though the water’s surface was still too close for comfort. He hovered, and waited until everyone was up before advancing in the opposite direction they had come in. Buskin seemed more than ready to go, though he shivered through his confidence. Wolfgang patted his feathers, encouraging him. “Only a bit of a ways to go. Thank y--”
He had dared to look down, and almost fell off when he did. A large, black, shapeless mound shifted under the water’s surface, barley noticeable. Buskin was only about half the size of it. The next thing he noticed was Inori, flying closer to the surface than she should have been.
It was almost as if he knew it would appear a second before it happened. He opened his mouth to call out to her, and as he did the shape under the water broke the surface, revealing it’s disgusting appearance, snapping it’s jowl, then crashing disappearing once again in the waves
It looked like a giant salmon, but it’s jaws were massive, and the numerous rows of teeth that it had flashed glittered in the fading sunlight were serrated and pointed. The scales were a gray-ish hue, and the tail and fins looked to be long and razor sharp.
Inori, having seen this, flew a bit higher and faster. “What was that?!” She cried, looking up at the sabbia and their riders. She looked down, the mass seemed to be following her, moving faster as she picked up speed.
“Get the fuck out of there!” Wolfgang screamed down, Inori’s expression of confusion turned into alarm. Shaking, she flapped her wings once and started to raise higher, but from behind she heard the sound of the water’s surface breaking open again. She looked to her side as it catapulted towards her, the disgusting monster’s eyes were a milky red, it’s jaw hung open and began snapping. A gasp escaped her throat as the powerful jaws clamped down. Luckily, she had moved her left wing just in time. In it’s failed attempt it crashed back into the waves below.
Inori’s jintori instincts seemed to take over her, she had never fought much besides the Sunahane, but she felt comforted that she had help. The blades that attached to her wrists and forearms, the ones Bonzo had given her, revealed themselves as she pulled up her coat sleeves. Her eyes seemed to glaze over, and everything slowed down. She could hear the beast below her, and it was coming to the surface again.
Like clockwork, it leaped out of the water, powerful tail beating against the air like a pathetic wing. She took no time to fly above it and land on it. She raised her arm to strike at it, when something caught her eye. Below her, another three of the monsters, though much smaller jumped out of the water at once. They were not looking for food, they looked like they were… playing.
“Inori!” Breaking out of her daze, Inori pushed off the beast and it crashed back into the water on it‘s side. She then looked up at Wolfgang, who had called her name. He looked more alarmed than she did, but maybe it was because he hadn’t realised the same thing she had. Her frozen breath hung in the air for moments before fading with the wind behind her, she could feel the adrenaline in her system surge for a moment before settling in her veins. They may have been monsters, but she could not bring herself to kill one, especially in its home. It reminded her of the Jintories and humans, killing each other, and why? Ignorance.
With her quick, though freezing wings, she rose up to a safe height, still watching the terrifying yet peaceful creatures swimming below. Wolfgang seemed to have calmed down too, impressed by her quick manoeuvring though he was confused she hadn’t finished the thing off.
“Are you alright?” “I am fine.” Her heavy accent sounded agitated as she pulled back down her sleeves to hide the bades once more. She glanced at him passively before flying ahead.
ooc/Sorry, it's kind of non-interactive and useless, but I really want to get on to Shifuto Aisu but have some creepy monsters lurking in the water. SO I MADE THEM SCARY-BUT-SOMEHOW-CUTE-WITH-BABIES, also I need to make Inori as originally badass as she was before x
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Feb 9, 2010 18:30:44 GMT -5
(( lolz yeah, its fine. ^^ ))
Sahara was more on edge than ever. "How long have they been under there?" She wondered out loud, her voice nearly panicky, which made Patrick very nervous. By then, he was sure that they were high enough away from the water to be attacked again, but he still wasn't going to let down his guard. Sahara hardly ever panicked, hardly ever was nervous, and when she was, she usually showed it with anger instead of fear. But this Sahara was scared, dirt scared, and quite honestly, it scared him.
A cold draft blew by, and Patrick switched his vision over to Inori, keeping an eye on her, making sure she wasn't freezing. He knew that Strawberry probably wasn't the best sabbia to ride with two riders, but he would make room if she needed it.
Thankfully, they didn't have to fly to far. "Patrick!" Sahara called out from behind. "I see it." Patrick responded. Off in the distance, just on the edge between the deep waters and the rest of the frozen sea, stood a massive glacier. Suprisingly, it was almost hard to see, as it was nearly the same color as the sky. If they weren't looking for it, they would have never spotted it.
"Shifuto Aisu." Sahara whispered, her breath visable. She glanced over at the others, as if to give quiet signals to keep both eyes open. Her own eyes, how ever poor they were, scanned the air and sea. Luckily, there were no boats out at the time, which was great news. Now all they could hope for was that no one was patroling the area.
Sahara rose her finger towards the large hunk of ice trailing behind the rest of the glacier, attached by a thin tunnel of ice. "That is the spiritual chamber." She told the others. Oddly, the air was slightly warmer now that they were leaving the deep waters. She wondered if the cold was actually coming from the sea itself, but at least this was a good thing. It meant that the water wouldn't be as freezing as the rest of the sea.
They flew silently as they approached the village. The glacier was much larger than she remembered, and it seemed to take forever to approach, every second becoming more and more dangerous. Patrick kept his eyes on the spiritual chamber. So far, from what he could see, there was nobody based on it, but they were still quite a distance away, and anything could happen.
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Feb 13, 2010 2:07:06 GMT -5
"So that's Shifuto Aisu." Wolfgang's voice was barely audible against the wind, his eye traced along the very thin line that differenciated the village from the sky. It wasn't until he saw the spiritual chamber did his stomach twist and throat dry. So far, they were lucky. He knew from then on everyone would be risking their lives, it didn't help his queasyness.
"I can feel the air from the chamber. It has a different... Sense to it." Inori was mostly drawn to it because of the warm air, but she could also feel somewhat a quiver of energy, one that was not their own. "It seems all is clear for now. Should we try to land?" she turned to Sahara hopefully, though she knew it had been a very long time she had been to the village, she also knew that intuition and memory worked hand in hand.
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Feb 13, 2010 3:18:21 GMT -5
Sahara could not answer. She kept her eyes focused on the village. All her fears had come slamming back into her. She swore to never come back to Shifuto Aisu, but here she was now, flying in on a sabbia, practically screaming "I am from Shifuto Hiru! Please shoot me down!" Patrick glanced over at her and frowned. This was no time to be freezing up in fear. They had to move and act quickly. Here is where all his training would come in handy. Hopefully the others would be fine too.
Patrick took over, leading for Sahara. He knew that she wasn't going to be much more help until they got inside the village and her fears were gone. "Lets land on top." He pointed to a small crevice that would conceal, and even keep warm, their sabbia, but it obviously wasn't big. "From here on, lets keep thing silent, mmk?"
Patrick was the first to fly down, quickly and as silently as possible. After flying on Jester the whole trip, he was suprised when Strawberry jerked so quickly forward. He flew towards the glacier, keeping his eyes on everything. He wanted to make sure he could see everything. If there was a person hiding in the snow wearing all white, he wanted to be the first to see it.
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Feb 25, 2010 10:36:34 GMT -5
Wolfgang followed suit after Patrick had landed. Buskin seemed more than happy to take a rest, and landed quietly in the crevice without barley disturbing the ice below his feet. Wolfgang jumped off and patted Buskin with his gloved hand. He too felt as if he should rest, the cold wind was a nice change from the desert, but he had never faced such extremes before. His body, wrapped tightly in the black coat ached, but he was so close, the anticipation hept him going.
Inori was next to land. She took a few steps in to make sure she had her footing, and then closed her wings. She kept as silent as the grave, blond hair whirling about her. Her cheeks were red and burnt and freezing, but other then that and her wings appearing almost tattered, she was in fine condition. Her large eyes turned to Patrick, he aand Sahara had gotten them to the village safley (for now), but what would come next? Her light lips parted, as if to speak, but she knew that she had to be silent and closed them again. Inori instead took a step closer to Patrick, wanting as close to him as she could, even if they were still a few steps apart.
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Mar 14, 2010 21:39:53 GMT -5
Patrick and Sahara landed fine, both getting off their sabbia, and Sahara keeping some distance from Strawberry. Patrick emmediately took Inori in a tight embrace, trying to both keep her warm and show his affection. The wind had burnt all their cheeks, and they were all cold; Patrick was no acception. He noticed out of the corner of his eyes the sabbia huddling close together, Strawberry and Jester burrying themselves into the snow and fluffing up their feathers.
Patrick didn't say a word. They needed a few minutes to rest and get their strength up, but it would be no longer than a few moments. He kept his arms around Inori, frightened that she might be getting frostbite or hypothermia. He closed his eyes and let her rest in his arms, making sure to make her feel safe, even though they were on a giant glacier that held a city that hated all from Shifuto Hiru. And even though it was Patrick and Sahara that were in most danger, he felt stronger just by keeping her close.
Sahara retreated a bit to the farthest side of the crevice, sitting down in the snow and pulling her legs up to her chest. She had grown so much this trip, and yet at that moment, she seemed more scared, more innocent, more like a child than she had been in years. She fought back silent tears, knowing that if she cried, not only would she be showing weakness, but she would be making her cheeks even colder.
Her metal leg made her shiver uncontrollably, but she kept it close to her, holding her knees tightly. She didn't want to go on. She had been through too much, and it was finally getting to her. For once in her life since her father's death, she felt completly and utterly useless and weak. She knew that Patrick, Inori, and Wolfgang were all still there, along with the sabbia, but the image of them, of her friends, faded away as her eyes blurred.
'Dad... I'm going to be a warrior, just like you!' The man laughed at his excited, rusty haired little girl. "You are, are you?" The girl smiled and nodded. "Mhm! Mr. Langtuay says I'm the best in the class! He says I'm ready to handle a real blade!" The man tussled the little girl's hair. "I bet you'll make a great warrior, Sahara..." He knelt down infront of his daughter and put his strong hands on her nimble shoulders. "But don't ever forget that being a warrior isn't everything. Love and is just as important as strength, my child."
"Love?" The little girl asked, cocking her head in disguist and confusion. "Daddy, love can't slay a dragon." The man laughed and shook his head. "No, no it can't. But it can do much, much more. And with love, you'll be the strongest warrior in the land!" The tiny warrior's eyes lit up, and she smiled with excitment. "How to I find love Daddy? I want to be the strongest in the land!" The man laughed once more. "You don't have to look far. Just look at me. And your mother, and your brother. We all love you very much. Even Mr. Langtuay! As long as you have family, you have love. And as long as you have love, you never have to be afraid."
The memory faded away, and Sahara buried her head in her arms. 'Dad...mom... brother... even Mr. Langtuay... none of them remain... I have no family... how can I still be strong? How am I not supposed to be afraid?' The thoughts rolled off her mind as another memory wrote itself back into the empty pages of her mind.
"Sahara! Wait up!" A voice called out behind the quick, rusty haired pre teen. "You can't just run away! If you want to be a warrior, you are going to have to face the sabbia!" A young dark skinned teen, not much older than Sahara called out behind her, wondering how she was so fast with such a heavy leg. "Never, Patrick! I'm not getting NEAR those things!"
Young Patrick finally caught up to Sahara and tackled her, but instead of taking her down, she took him down. "You can't still think that you're stronger than me, Patrick! Just because I'm a girl..." But instead of feeling sorry for himself, the boy just laughed, leaving a very confused young Sahara. "What are you laughing about?" Patrick smiled and sat up. "You! You have beak paint all over your face!"
Young Sahara scrubbed frantically at her face. "What? I do not!" The boy laughed and rushed to his feet, then smeared a yellow paint onto her face. "You do now! Yellow! Because you are such a fast little birdie!" Angry, the young Sahara pushed the boy back into the sand, siezing the bottle of paint. "This had better not be permanent you jerk!" Patrick laughed. "Relax Sahara! Its just regular paint! It isn't beak paint! But boy, you should see your face!"
Sahara turned around and crossed her arms, grunting at the boy and giving him the silent treatment. "Oh come on Sissy, it was just a joke." He stood up, feeling rather sorry about it, wondering if he hadn't gone too far. "Look, I'm sorry. I wont make you train with the sabbia today. Just please quit giving me that look!" Sahara glared at him, then her glare turned into a grin as she squeezed the remainder of the paint onto his face. "You had better be right about this being regular paint, because if it isn't, we are both going to be life long freaks!"
The two laughed about the joke, collapsing together in the sand. "You are such a jerk." Laughed Sahara. "Yeah, well so are you." Teased Patrick. The two laughed together until the sun went down.
"Hey, Sahara?" The girl sat up. "Hm?" She waited for his question. "We're best friends, right?" Sahara gave him a friendly smile. "Ofcourse!" Patrick continued. "Then that kind of makes us family, right?" Sahara sat and thought about it for a moment. "Well... I guess it kind of does." Patrick smiled. "Good. I think we both needed a bit of family." Young Sahara glanced out at the shifting sands of the desert dunes. "Yeah...I guess we kind of do." Patrick smiled. "I'm glad that you're my best friend." Sahara smiled back. "Yeah, me too. Friends for ever. Lets promise that we will always be family." Patrick nodded in agreement. "Alright, deal." They locked pinkies together, and their bond was sealed.
Sahara glanced over at Patrick who was now tightly holding onto Inori. He was her first kiss... her first crush... though they had both agreed that they were not meant to date, and settled happily as a make shift brother and sister. She was happy for him, that he had finally found true love... but she felt as if she was quickly becoming a third wheel, like he didn't need her anymore. And she felt like she was truly losing the last bit of family that she had... and it scared her...
She glanced over at Wolfgang. How akward he must have felt. She knew that they had all told him that nothing that happened was his fault, but she knew he must still be feeling it. After Connors death, she had blamed him... that was something that would undoubtably never leave his mind. She had been so ruthless towards him... and here she was sulking in her own pity, as if everything was all about her. She knew better.
Finally, she rose back up to her feet, wiping the last bit of blur from her eyes. She walked over to Wolfgang and put a hand on his shoulder. She didn't want to talk, in fear that they would be overheard, but she wanted to show him that she was there for him, and that she was sorry for the way she had been previously. He hand't deserved it, and none of it was truly his fault. The wind whipped by and chewed at her face. She was weak, tired, hungry, and cold. But she was a warrior. And here with her, she had three great friends. She did have a family. She did have that love, and because of that... she felt stronger than she ever had before. And she was ready, for anything that this frozen hell hole could throw at her. She was ready.
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Mar 20, 2010 20:53:55 GMT -5
Wolfgang's gaze was to the black sea sucking and churning against the very glacier they had taken shelter in. He wondered how much colder it would be inside with a grudging scowl. He flipped the collar on his jacket, hoping pathetically that it would warm him up in some way.
His usual grimace was gone, but the dull gray that made the colour of his eyes still housed a cynical and almost nervous aura. They had traveled so far… what if it was in vain? The presence within him was growing. The rushes of emotions that weren’t his own, the unfamiliar feeling he felt in his own body... He was losing control. Wolfgang kept close to the words Bonzo had told him, they were his only comfort now, even being so close…
He was quickly taken by surprise by Sahara's gesture. If it had a few weeks earlier, if they had not only crossed a desert, but an ocean together, he would of acted hostile. But he understood what she had meant, with her own understanding gleam in her eyes, he was moved, if not entirely surprised. He kept his mouth shut though, as not to disturb the silence that their lives most likely depended on. He kept his gaze on her, trying to search himself for something to do, to say, to show her he appreciated it. The look in his eyes intensified, but he only broke away with a defeated sigh as they cast back down to the sea.
Inori shivered in her cold jacket against Patrick as she wrapped her own thin arms around him. Her cheeks were burnt and red, while her lips grew pale and almost blue; she could feel warmth as she held him though, and that was enough for her to stop shivering. Comforted, she nuzzled her head against his chest. The imminent danger that seemed to be approaching all too quickly didn't frighten her. It was Patrick that scared her, both him and Sahara. Would they be found out? The sinking feeling in her stomach told her she didn't like the plan anymore.
"I wish just Wolfgang and I would go. You and Sahara could stay here." her voice was light, almost inaudible. She knew that the suggestion would be pushed aside, maybe even ignored. She knew that they both wouldn't travel this far just to sit and wait with the sabbia.
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Mar 21, 2010 13:08:57 GMT -5
Patrick shook his head, laying a hand on her chilled cheak. "We must go, Inori. Sahara is the only one who even knows what the inside of this village looks like, and if they get into trouble, they need me there too." He glanced at the sabbia, who suprizingly looked as if they were getting warmed up. "But... I would rather you stay here." He took off his jacket and threw it over her shoulders. The cold hit him rather hard and fast, but he knew that he was going to have to go under water, and the jacket would just weigh him down.
"Some body should stay here with the sabbia, and you could risk freezing to death if you go under the water. I don't want to risk that. You'll be warm with the sabbia, and my jacket..." He looked into her eyes, worried for her. "Please stay here. If somebody else finds the sabbia, there will be no way for us to get out of here if they are taken, and then we will be doomed. We need somebody to watch the sabbia, to care for them while we are gone."
He reached up and brushed the fly away strands of hair out of her face. Everybody's hair was messed up. They all looked like had gone through a war, with such dirty clothes and messy hair and the occasional blood stains. "We wont be too long, and we will be back. I promise. But I need you here, with the sabbia. I know I can trust you Inori. Please?" He pleaded with her. More than anything, he didn't want her getting sick or hurt, or worse, killed.
Sahara dropped her hand and looked down into the deep waters below. "I'll go first, Patrick." She whispered. Even though they were from the desert, they were fairly good swimmers. All warriors from Shifuto Hiru had to learn to swim, just incase there was a battle with Shifuto Aisu. And here was where Sahara would come in most useful. She had Shifuto Aisu blood in her, and that meant that she was an excellent swimmer. She could hold her breath longer than anyone else in Shifuto Hiru, and that meant that she needed to be the one to dive down and find the opening; if there was one.
"I'll swim down. When I find something, I'll swim back up and get you guys. Please be watching for my signal." Then without waiting for a second opinion, she leapt into the water, some distance down from the ledge she had been standing on. Patrick nearly screamed out after her. "Sahara!" He grunted quietly, shaking his head. "Moron. She never did learn to wait for orders..." Now all they could do was sit and wait.
The icy blast of water hit her like a thousand burning needles in her flesh. In all honesty, she did not expect the frozen sea to be so cold, but she realized it must have been, to have so much ice in the water. She pushed small hunks of ice out of her way as she swam, the salty sea water burning her eyes just a little while she scanned the ice burg for some sign of an entrance. At one point, she thought she saw something swimming below her, but she disreguarded it, knowing that she had to focus on finding a way in.
And then she saw it. The water was getting sucked into a rather large gap in the ice, slowly, but noticably. She saw a few small fish fighting the current, and decided to get a closer look. As she neared the hole, she realized that it was slowly sucking her in too, much like the old sand traps she was used to in the desert, only this time, she was freezing. She swam in a little closer to get a better look, and there she saw it. It was perfect. A hole that seemed just large enough for an adult male about Patrick's size.
She went to swim through, to make sure that it went all the way through, but just as she felt the intense sucking of the hole, she felt sharp pains on her ankle, and something pulled her down and away from the entrance to the glacier. She opened her mouth to let out a scream, but remembered that if she did, she would drown. She could already feel herself losing breath, pressure building up in her lungs.
What ever had latched onto her gave another tight tug, and she let out a gasp, accidentally sucking in some of the salty, icy water, and it turned into a coughing fit. Suddently, she knew that she was in trouble. She needed to get to the surface quickly, and with each tug, she was pulled further and further beneath the water. She didn't have much time, she needed to act fast. Quickly, she began kicking with her right leg, the mechanical one. Finally, after many tries, she felt the clang of the metal foot on the hard surface of slippary scales, and felt her good leg slip free of the sharp teeth.
She desperately scratched at the water. With a heavy mechanical leg, it was hard enough to swim without sinking to the bottom. Now, her good strong leg was injured, and all she had left was her powerful arms. Just as she was about to break the surface, she glanced down. Her eyes caught sight of what had grabbed her. It was a huge fish, almost shark like, but with long teeth that curved up and over its upper lip. It had large eyes, which were now glazed over, revealing that Sahara had kicked it in just the right spot, and that it had killed the fish. Its scaled looked rough and bumpy, almost like warts on a toad, and it had a long, multi-finned tail that now curled up to its lifeless body as it sank into the depths below. Another glance showed that while they were waiting ontop of the glacier, trying to think up a plan and taking a rest, the glacier had floated into the deep waters.
If something that big swam just on the border of the deep waters, she didn't want to know what was out even further. Finally, she broke the surface, gasping for air, her eyes red from the salt of the sea. As the air hit her face, she reaized just how cold she was, and could feel her mechanical leg locking up from the ice. Patrick, seeing her resurface with horror on her face almost screamed, but she shook her head and beckoned them down.
"She's found it." He whispered to Wolfgang. "Are you ready? Because we don't have much time to think about it." He gave Inori one last glance, then leapt into the water, hitting it with a hard, icy splash. They didn't have much time before the cold of the water would get to them, so he decided not to wait for Wolfgang, hoping that he would be right there behind them. "Becareful." Sahara said. "Watch where you swim; we are over deep waters." Patrick gave her an understanding nod, noticing the blood from her leg. "Do you need help?" Sahara shook her head. "No, but the faster we get down there, the faster I can patch it up and not die from cold, now lets GO!" She said, diving into the water with Patrick close behind her.
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Mar 21, 2010 16:16:05 GMT -5
Inori blinked away the few tears that sprang from her eyes. She didn’t have a chance to say goodbye before Patrick leapt into the water after Sahara, but she knew they would come back. They had to. She stood, watching the ominous water hide Sahara and Patrick as they dove towards the odd whirlpool/hole. She glanced at Wolfgang, who was just about to dive in as well. “Wolfgang.”
The man stopped short as he was about to plunge into the freezing waters to turn back to Inori. His jaw was locked by what seemed the cold temperatures or nerves. She wasn’t sure. “All of you. Be careful.” A sob escaped her throat, but it did not waver. Wolfgang turned back to the water, Patrick and Sahara had already disappeared. He nodded back at her, and did the most stupid thing he could think of. Jump into the water after them.
At first, the water stabbed at him like cold daggers, but his skin, unsure of how to react, became surprisingly warm. Though he welcomed the feeling, he knew that he didn’t have long before hypothermia or something worse would set in. He swam briskly over to the sucking hole, took a deep breath, and once more, his head was under the water.
Inori scanned the water’s surface, there was no sign of any of them anymore. She gave a weak sigh before walking over to the sabbia, all cuddled together for warmth. Buskin looked at her and shifted over, so there was room for her between him and Jester. She sat down and wrapped her fingers around Patrick’s jacket draped over her shoulders. “Please, come back safe.”
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Mar 25, 2010 20:14:26 GMT -5
Sahara sunk down much easier than it was for her to swim up, which was good news considering. As she found the hole, she was glad to see that there were no immediate dangers lurking nearby, atleast not that she could see at that range underwater. She emmediately felt the sucking of the hole as she neared it, and this time, she let herself get pulled into its current. It didn't occur to her until seconds before she hit the ice that she could very well be putting all of them in danger. What if the hole wasn't big enough?
Any doubts she had was wiped clean as she passed through the hole in the ice and into the chamber. The current then broke into two paths, but Sahara was able to get her head above the water to gasp in the sharp chills of cold air. Patrick was right behind her, and he came up with a horrible shriek. "GOD THAT IS COLD!" He shouted, and emmediately regretted it. Sahara glared at him. "Shut up, will ya?"
She took a glance down each way. The current was strong down one path compaired to the other, and she decided to take the stream with the least pressure, Patrick in tow behind her. As she kept on, the chamber got smaller and smaller, until they had to poke their heads back under the water to swim through a watery tunnel.
A few more grueling seconds later, and Sahara realized that she had made the right choice. She squeezed through the small, man sized tunnel and found herself in the middle of what appeared to be a small lake within the glacier. The water had become less and less salty as she swam, and now, she could tell that the water was fresh. The ice crystals in the underwater tunnel were obviously responsable for the loss of salt in the water, as they seemed to be absorbing the salt. If Sahara had more time to think, she would have realized that the strength of the glacier came from the salt itself.
She swam over to the icy shore and pulled herself up and out of the freezing water, shortly followed by Patrick. While the ice they sat on was cold, they were suprized by how warm the air was within the chamber. They both decided it best to stand up and shake off as much of the water that they could while they nervously waited for Wolfgang.
Then Patrick noticed just how bad Sahara was. She leaned on the side of the chamber and relaxed some of the pressure on her leg, which so obviously had been bitten by a large fish. She was also shaking uncontrollably, and Patrick could see that her normally tanned skin was now a very pale white, her lips and blood vessels turned puple. She looked terrible, dripping from head to toe, and Patrick felt like he had put his best friend in complete danger. It was the stupidest thing he could have done.
"You don't look so good, Sahara... You're still bleeding." Sahara rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, rubbing all that salt into my wound while swimming didn't exactly help. I'll be fine Patrick." Patrick shook his head. While too was shivering and cold beyond imagination, he knew that Sahara had been in the water more than twice has long as he was. "Sahara... I'm-" "PATRICK! Before you go off apologizing, you need to realize that this was MY choice. I chose to find the hole, to risk losing another limb to cold... do you think I care about that? I'm a warrior, and I am fighting for the last thing I care about...you guys."
Patrick was overwhelmed. After all that had happened, it didn't occur to him how much danger he had put them all in by swimming in such freezing water, especially Sahara. "Sahara, you could lose more than just a limb... you could..." He couldn't finish, but Sahara knew what he meant. But instead of feeling pain or sorrow, she smiled. "Patrick, I am the strongest warrior in the land. This isn't anything. I'll be fine, I promise."
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Post by P h o b i a;|| on Mar 31, 2010 23:42:16 GMT -5
Eventually, after hitting his head against the small ice-hole for the tenth time, Wolfgang’s head finally poked out of the water,. The water flew about in small droplets as he shook his hair about, and he gave short and sharp breathes. Surprisingly, his body wasn’t cold or numbingly warm anymore. He felt like he was at his normal body temperature, maybe a bit chillier. ‘What’s going on…’ he thought to himself, and began to swim to the shore where Sahara and Patrick had been resting. As he crawled to the shore, hands now resting on his knees, it took him a moment to finally look up. He was surprised to see Sahara’s leg. “You were bit?” he turned back to the water, scanning it for any sign of life, though at the short time he watched the water, he saw nothing. “Will you be alright?”
He finally stood up, clothing wet and heavily hanging off his body. He didn’t shiver or even snivel from the cold, the entire feeling was so bizarre that his face still remained puzzled as he tried to think through it. Of course, it had to be only one thing. He pushed the thought aside and turned back to Sahara and Patrick, waiting for instructions, or at least an answer.
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Post by ∴♪WolfurChickϗ on Apr 1, 2010 2:09:10 GMT -5
"I'll be fine." Sahara said as she pushed through Patrick and Wolfgang. "Now that I know where we are, I can guide you through to the main chamber, and from there, you'll be on your own. It wont be hard, as long as you aren't from Shifuto Hiru, Shifuto Aisu can be a very welcoming place. I've even seen them forgive comeplete strangers who steal from them. Its creepy."
"Sahara, you're leaving a trail." Patrick noticed. Sahara turned around as she looked at the icy floor, now coated in an easily visable trail of human blood. "You walk around like that, and they'll find you easily..." Sahara turned around to look at Patrick, who was giving her a sadened puppy dog face. "So I'll cover it up." She reached up and ripped the shirt from her torso. Luckily, she was wearing a small halter top underneath.
Quickly, she tied the ripped marooned striped shirt around her wound, forcing herself not to let the pain show on her face. "Now lets go." Just as she went to turn around, still shaking, Patrick grabbed hold of her arm. "Sahara, it'll just keep bleeding! If you bleed too much, you'll pass out. AND DIE!" IT finally dawned on him the trouble that he put them through... the friend that he was slowly losing from a fish bite and some icy water.
But Sahara wasn't so concerned, and she wasn't about to let Patrick let his guard down either. She swatted his hand away and shoved him into the icy wall with as much force as she couldn without breaking something. "Shut the hell up Patrick! You think I don't know what will happen if I don't get treated? Well guess what Patrick? I have no choice. Where am I going to go? The nearest hospital that would treat me is across the sea, and even if I wasn't bleeding to death, I can't go back in that water. I can already feel the effects of hypothermia. So yeah, I'm probably going to die, Patrick."
She took a deep breath, trying to calm down a bit. She wouldn't want her last moments to consist of nothing but yelling at her best friend. "But right now, Patrick, we both have to be calm. I have to get this done. I made a promise to help Wolfgang, and I will keep that promise. So if you don't mind, I want to keep going before I pass out." She released her grip on the shocked Patrick and turned away from him.
Patrick couldn't say a word. He wanted to feel guilty. He couldn't lose his best friend. Not Sahara. He had a responsibility for Sahara. He was the only family she had... and she was the only family he had... It didn't make sense. But at the moment, he didn't have the time... or the belief... to worry about anybody being hurt. There was still a mission he had to complete, and he wasn't leaving without completing it, even if Sahara wouldn't be there later on. Infortunately, that was the true mission for every warrior in Shifuto Hiru.
"I'll show you where to go Wolfgang. I promise we'll get you to a good doctor." She spoke as she began to lead the way. Luckily, the village hidden within the glacier seemed rather quiet at this time of night, at least on that end of the village. Sahara knew that on the other side was a town sized population of night owls. Apparently, Night time was easier on the eyes. It was the same for Shifuto Hiru, although for the desert, heat was of course another factor.
The path out through the chamber lead all the way out to the main chamber, just as Sahara remembered. From there, there were four different paths, none of which were labelled. It was just another key to keep spies and trespassers confused. However, because of Sahara's former trip to Shifuto Aisu, she knew each path, each corrider, except for the secret hidden ones, ofcourse.
"There." Sahara pointed at the second corridor. "If you follow that, you'll find the village Shamen. When not at war or making piece, she tends to visitors. She's a freak. She'll forgive you for tresspassing as soon as you tell her you need help, so don't worry about making up a long story. Just make sure you apologize for it... These people are weird like that."
Patrick looked at Sahara. "Maybe you should go too... you need help." Sahara spun around and glared at him. "Even if they didn't hate the guts of all people from Shifuto Hiru, I would never go to them for help. Especially not the Shamen. You know that. You know why." Patrick sighed.
"Alright Sahara, you keep your promises, right?" Sahara squinted her eyes. "Yeah, why?" Patrick looked at her. "You made a promise to me, a long time ago, that you would not leave me, as long as I was still a warrior, and as long as Shifuto Hiru was still at war with Shifuto Aishu. You promised that you would be better than me, in everything that you do." He took a deep breath, and smiled lightly. "You're already a better friend, a better fighter, a better flyer..." He laughed. "That one didn't take long..."
Sahara looked back at him, listening to his words and contemplating them. "Your better than me at losing limbs, thats for sure." Sahara gave him a smack for that one. "But there is still more." Sahara was nearly in tears. "Oh yeah? Like what?" Patrick frowned. He had to think about it, really. Sahara really was better than him at almost anything. She was such a quick learner, she was strong, fast...
"Well, I've found somebody to be with. To see when I wake up in the morning... You deserve that too." Sahara rolled her eyes. He was always such a love fanatic, always wanting her to be as happy as he was... Maybe that was something he was still better at than her... happiness. "Sahara, you can't just give up. No matter what happens, you have to go on." Sahara sighed. "I suppose your right Patrick. I... I'll try." She muttered. It would be the hardest thing in her life. She felt as if she could lay down and die.. but she couldn't...she wouldn't allow herself that weakness.
She turned to Wolfgang. "You'll be fine." She smiled. "Just talk to the Shamen girl. She'll help you, and if she can't, nobody can." She shrugged. "But... I'll keep hoping. And don't worry about me, not one bit. I'll be OK too. We'll both be flying home. Try to make it quick though, we will be waiting in the previous chamber. You remember how to get there, right?"
(( OMG SORRY EPIC FAIL! ....I wanted to put in a lot of emotion but I got lazy XD ))
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